FAQ

Customers who are affected by the Arriva industrial action can apply for a credit on their 4 weekly Solo ticket, but only after the industrial action has ended.

1 day, 3 day or 5 day Solo tickets - are not eligible for a credit as tickets are valid over a 28 day period.

Weekly Solo ticket - as advance notice of the Arriva industrial action was widely communicated, a credit will not be given.

4 weekly Solo ticket - can apply for a credit once the industrial action has ended.  Please send proof of purchase and details of your bus route to smart@liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk.  Other bus services are operating and you may not qualify for a credit.

Simply visit our home page www.metro-smart.org.uk click on “Register your Smartcard” and enter your details. Please make sure that you complete all fields – including all mandatory fields marked *. You must also read and accept the terms and conditions before submitting your registration.

If you encounter any issues in registering your card, double check that you have entered the smart card number correctly and try again. If your smart card has expired or it has been reported lost/stolen you will not be able to register it. 

If you need further assistance please email smart@merseytravel.gov.uk.

Term Time Ticket dates are agreed in conjunction with all Local Education Authorities across Merseyside.

Term dates are displayed if you click the question mark above the ticket name.

If the ticket is not suitable for your travel requirements, please visit the Merseytravel Website to see other options available. 

Firstly, you will need to register your smartcard.  Next, check the expiry date on your smartcard to make sure you have sufficient validity before buying your ticket.  Click on "Buy Tickets" and select the ticket that best meets your needs. Proceed to "Secure Checkout" to pay by debit or credit card.

You can use your Solo Term Time ticket within the Merseyside area, but your ticket won’t be valid for travel in Lancashire, Cheshire or Halton.

Tickets are valid Monday to Friday on term time dates only.  You can use your Solo Term Time ticket during half term, but the ticket cannot be used at weekends.

When you have completed your online ticket purchase you will be sent an email confirmation. This will show the ticket type, price of your ticket and payment reference number (starts with MW).  It is important that you retain this email in the event of any future query.

If you buy your Solo ticket before 5pm it will be available to collect on board the bus the next day; tickets bought after 5pm will be available for collection in 36 hours.

To collect your ticket, present it and hold it over the ticket machine when you board the bus, your ticket will then be loaded automatically.

Your Railpass ticket will be available after 2 hours. Place your smartcard on the platform validator or ticket gate located at the station of departure and your ticket will be loaded automatically. You must validate your ticket before you board the train.

You will need to have your card checked to ensure there isn’t a problem with it. You can have your card checked at any Merseytravel Centre and if your card is faulty, it will be replaced free of charge.  If your card is reading on other buses there may be an issue with that bus driver’s ticket machine. 

If your card has been damaged, a replacement fee may be applied.

When you have bought your ticket you will be sent an email confirmation. Please keep this email as proof of purchase and to help our staff with any queries.

If you buy your Solo ticket before 5pm it will be available to collect on board the bus next day, tickets bought after 5pm will be available to collect within 36 hours.   You must collect your ticket 28 days from the date of purchase. 

Merseyrail Only Railpass tickets will be available to collect at a platform validator or a ticket gate within 2 hours.

Check the time of your purchase, if you buy your Solo ticket before 5pm it will be ready to collect the next day, if you bought it after 5pm, it will ready after 36 hours. If you have bought a Merseyrail Only Railpass ticket,  allow 2 hours from the time of your purchase to make sure it is available to collect.

You can check your account to see the status of your ticket.  Your ticket may still  show as pending up to 24 hours after it has first been used and then it will show as active.

You can have more than one ticket on a card for different products, eg; a Solo ticket and a Merseyrail Only Railpass ticket, providing they are two different tranactions.  You cannot buy more than one ticket at a time in the same transaction, unless they are on different smartcards.

“My tickets” will show the status of your ticket and how many are available.

SOLO

You must provide your smartcard and proof of purchase or email confirmation.

We cannot refund a daily or weekly Solo ticket if it has already been activated. We will refund the unused part of a 4-Weekly Solo ticket based on the time left on your ticket. There is an administration fee of £5.00 applied to all refunds.

Your card will be hotlisted when you surrender it for a refund.  If you wish to buy another ticket in the future, you will have to buy and register a new Metrocard.

MERSEYRAIL ONLY RAILPASS

If you wish to surrender your Merseyrail Only Railpass part way through it’s validity please visit the Merseyrail website and fill out the Online Merseyrail Only Railpass refund form. In all cases you MUST include a copy of your proof of purchase, using the attach function on the form. Typically this will be the confirmation email sent to you when you purchased your ticket. This should be attached to the form when making your claim.

Your refund will be calculated based on the amount of time left on your ticket. Please note that this also includes the discounted periods, so the amount you receive may be less than you expect. Refunds will be processed and paid within 20 days of your claim and any refund due paid back to the original method of payment you used.

Click on  to see your personal details. You can change your name or address here. 

Cclick on “Account Details” to do this. 

Solo

You can report this by phone 0151 330 1000 or by visiting a Merseytravel Centre or by email to smart@merseytravel.gov.uk . Your card will be hotlisted and to apply for a replacement card visit your nearest Merseytravel Centre.  If you have more than one week left on your card you may be able to have this replaced at the Merseytravel centre, please take your proof of purchase or confirmation email. You will need to pay £1 for a new card.

Merseyrail Only Railpass

Please visit the Merseyrail website and fill out the lost/stolen/replacement ticket form.

You will be issued with a replacement paper ticket for the duration of your original product. You will purchase a new MetroCard at the end of your current ticket's life.

You must include a copy of your proof of purchase (the confirmation email sent to you when you bouth the ticket) using the attach function on the form. A £10 admin fee will be charged for all lost smartcards. There is no charge if the card is stolen and you are able to provide a Police Crime Reference Number when completing the form.

Your new smartcard can take up to 7 days to be processed and made available for you to collect at a Merseyrail station. During this time you are responsible for your own travel costs.

Please make sure that you have a valid ticket for the day and area of travel loaded on to your smartcard. Your receipt should display this information, or, if you have purchased a ticket online you can check this on your account under "My Tickets". 

SOLO

Please allow up to 24/36 hours before you collect your ticket. In the unlikely event that your card doesn’t read, but you believe that it is valid, please visit a Merseytravel Centre where your card can be checked. You will be asked to show your confirmation email as proof of purchase.

MERSEYRAIL ONLY RAILPASS

If your card doesn't read, another Platform Validator or ticket gate can be ulitilised. If the same error shows this must be raised to the station with proof of purchase.

Smartcards do have an expiry date, check this on your account under “My Smartcard” section. If you need to replace your smartcard, please visit your nearest Merseytravel Centre.  

If you buy a ticket before the expiry date of your card, your ticket will not be valid after the card expires.

You can have up to 10 cards registered to one account

All monthly, term time or annual Railpass or Merseyrail Only Railpass holders will automatically receive the equivalent of one days travel for the type of ticket held, for each strike day where Merseyrail are unable to provide a train service, or rail replacement bus within the duration of your ticket.

 The value equivalent to a days travel for each day of action will be automatically refunded to the credit or debit card that you purchased your ticket with. Please allow up to 20 working days for this process to happen before contacting us.